Presented By: Saturday Morning Physics
Saturday Morning Physics | The Physics of Art and the Art of Physics
Xiaoming Mao, Professor of Physics and Mechanical Engineering (U-M Physics and Engineering)
At the same moment Monet was painting the shimmering atmosphere, Rayleigh was explaining its physics. Moving from light and color through Helmholtz’s science of perception, this talk traces the remarkable journey from physical reality to what the eye sees, what the artist creates, and what the audience imagines—while discussing the physics principles behind it. It then turns the lens around to ask how beauty, elegance, and symmetry guide physicists in their search for the laws of nature.